3 people who died in Hougang fire believed to be married couple & teen daughter

The three casualties of a fire that broke out in Hougang on Jan. 9 are reportedly a married couple and their teenage daughter.

The family lived in a five-room flat on the third floor of Block 971 Hougang Street 91, The Straits Times reported.

Only the man's body has been identified so far, as the other victims' bodies suffered significant burns.

All three were found dead in the flat's bedrooms.

Flat was cluttered

The flat's occupants were Lee Choon Geak, 62, his wife Seow Siew Choo, 56, and their teenage daughter.

They moved into the flat in 2019.

According to neighbours, the family's flat was cluttered.

One neighbour, a 42-year-old woman who gave her name as Priya, said the family would often bring home boxes of junk and flower pots.

This would clutter the inside of the unit and the corridor — at one point all the way to the rubbish chute, she said.

"It was very messy and smelly. I could smell it even when the door was closed," she added.

Another neighbour recalled that the couple would often bring home carton boxes and flower pots.

They also owned several pets, including a cat, bird, and rabbits.

Firefighting efforts

In a Jan. 9 Facebook post, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said that they were alerted to the fire at 12:40pm.

While firefighters forced their way into the unit, they encountered challenges entering due to "excessive items" in the unit.

About 30 occupants from the first to seven floors were evacuated.

SCDF managed to extinguish the fire in slightly over 2 hours.

However, two persons were found dead, and a third afterwards.

A cat, a bird, and eight rabbits were also brought out of the unit alive by the firefighters.

An SCDF paramedic and a resident in a dark-coloured top were seen attending to a cat wrapped in a cloth bundle.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Top image from @cspec_ter/TikTok and SCDF/Facebook